1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an optical writing apparatus and a method to control the write execution time. More particularly, the present invention relates to an optical writing apparatus to decrement or maintain its write execution time during a pause period when the pause period is required while write data are written onto a writing medium by setting the write execution time, and a method to control its write execution time.
2. Description of the Related Art
An optical writing apparatus employs an optical disk driver to allow data to be written onto an optical disk. In the optical writing apparatus, data to be written onto the optical disk are written in a stream form, thus providing videos and sounds of high quality.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view for illustrating a conventional optical writing apparatus. Referring to FIG. 1, the optical writing apparatus includes a front panel 100 wherein a key input portion 110 is included to receive operating instructions corresponding to selection or setting of various functions, which are input by a user. The front panel 100 further includes a display 120 to display operations in progress and functions selected by the user, and a tray 130 to load and unload an optical disk (not shown).
A plurality of function keys 110a to 110g are typically arranged in the key input portion 110. The function keys 110a to 110g include a PLAY key 110a to reproduce images and sounds stored in the optical disk, a RECORD key 110b to perform a writing operation to write data to the optical disk, a STOP key 110c to stop the operation in progress, a PAUSE key 110d to pause the operation in progress, an OPEN/CLOSE key 110e to open or close the tray 130, a rewind key 110f, a fast forward key 110g, and direction keys 110h to select up, down, right and left directions in a menu.
After the user operates the OPEN/CLOSE key 110e to load the writing medium (i.e., the optical disk) onto the optical writing apparatus, the user operates the RECORD key 110b to allow write data to be written onto the writing medium. In this case, the user may operate the direction keys 110h to set a writing time when the write data are written onto the writing medium using the menu provided in the optical writing apparatus.
When the write execution time is set, the optical writing apparatus gradually decrements the write execution time while the writing operation is in progress, and stops the writing operation when the write execution time reaches zero.
When the user does not pay attention to the writing operation or when contents that the user does not want to write are provided from an external equipment connected to the optical writing apparatus, the user operates the PAUSE key 100d to pause the writing operation. The conventional optical writing apparatus decrements the preset write execution time in a paused state of the writing operation as is done in a state of the writing operation, or does not allow the write execution time to be decremented in the paused state of the writing operation.
In other words, functions of decrementing and maintaining the write execution time in the paused state are predetermined to allow performance of any one of these functions in the paused state of the conventional optical writing apparatus.
As a result, there is a need for the user to be able to decrement or maintain the write execution time in the paused state.